


Home to My Heart

by LtTanyaBoone



Category: NCIS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-07
Updated: 2013-10-13
Packaged: 2017-12-28 17:31:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/994641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LtTanyaBoone/pseuds/LtTanyaBoone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ziva and Tim try to work on their relationship but find that it might not be as easy as they thought. *sequel to Farther Than You Can Throw*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Words beforehand: I have not watched any episode of the new season, nor do I intend to.  
> Basically, this is me trying to wrap up the McGiva AU episode tags I've done for the last two seasons, and also saying goodbye to the show.

**Disclaimers:** NCIS, the rights to the show and its characters do not belong to me. No money was made by this.  
 **Spoilers:** S10, AU  
 **Pairing:** Tim McGee/Ziva David romance  
 **Rating:** FRT

* * *

All I know  
Is that the end’s beginning  
Who I am from the start  
Take me home to my heart

~ _**Shattered**_ by Trading Yesterday

* * *

 

Tim tilted his head as he crossed his arms over his chest. He leaned against the doorjamb, drawing a slow breath as he watched her.

Ziva sat on the porch, one foot drawn up to rest on the edge of her chair, her arm resting on her knee while her hand was in her curly hair. She’d disappeared out here over an hour ago. It wasn’t that he was concerned, she seemed calm and relaxed, but her continued silence was starting to worry Tim a little.

Quietly, he pushed himself away from the doorway and went to her, grabbing a chair and setting it down next to her so he could share the view. It was the first time he was in Israel, and he had to admit, the country was beautiful. And watching Ziva here was fascinating. It seemed like so much about her had changed, as if the way she held herself, even the way she breathed was different. There was a calm in her eyes, a tranquility that he hadn’t seen in a while, and he was glad that being here helped her.

“I do not want to go back.”

Tim closed his eyes at her words. He had known they were coming, known it deep down from the moment he’d seen her entire face light up when they’d watched the sunrise on their first morning here weeks ago. Still they made his heart constrict.

Ziva didn’t sound sad. Her voice was clear, though soft. He had a feeling she’d been trying to get those words out for a while now, but never found the right moment or the right way to say them.

“I know.” he responded, turning his head to look at her, only to find her watching him intently.

“I do not want you to return, either.” she said, shifting. Ziva put her leg down and reached out to take his hand, entwining their fingers. Now that was something he had not expected. For her to say it. And he had no idea how to react.

They had come here to work on their relationship, to rest and heal and get a new perspective on their lives. He had never thought, not even for a second, of staying in Israel permanently. It had been a vacation to him, a chance to see Ziva’s old home, to experience the country and culture she had grown up in.

His first thought was that it wasn’t fair. She had no one here, except Shmeil. His family and their friends, they were all in the US. How dare she tell him she didn’t want them to go back to them, didn’t want him to return to his family? They needed him, Sarah and his father needed him. And he needed to be with them, too.

And then he blinked down at their joined hands. Yes, his family was in the US and they needed him, but Ziva was here, and she needed him, too. And he needed her, more than he had wanted to admit in the past. It was the one reason why he had agreed to working on their relationship instead of just giving up after everything that had happened, with Bodnar and Eschel.

Tim drew a shaky breath, blinking quickly.

“I did not mean to-” Ziva cut herself off with a shake of her head. She got up and moved to stand in front of him, letting go of his hand as she sat down on his leg, her hands twisting into his hair as she rested her forehead against his. “I know you need to go back.” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “But I also know that I can’t.”

Tim moved his head to kiss her, gently, when he saw the tears swimming in her eyes.

“Not yet?” he husked, his heart sinking when Ziva swallowed thickly.

“It does not feel like a temporary thing.” she admitted, her arms wrapping around his neck. “I’m sorry.” she mumbled, and Tim’s hold on her tightened.

“Don’t be.” he told her, exhaling loudly. He kind of understood her, a little at least. So much had changed, and it was only natural that she wanted to be surrounded by something familiar. He’d never considered it before, but it made sense that for Ziva, being able to find herself again was only possible when she was in Israel.

His fiancée let out a sniffle and he reached up to wipe a stray tear from her cheek.

“I love you.” he whispered, brushing his lips over hers as he tried to think of a solution. Their flight back was in two days, and it seemed like he’d be on it alone.

“I could, come with you.” Ziva offered, drawing a shaky breath. “I didn’t mean to drop this on you like this, I just… I tried. I really did, I thought I could do it. But the more I think of going back to the US, everything in me just… knots up.”

He watched her, searching her face.

“There’s a lot to figure out, Ziva.” he told her and watched her nod.

“I am aware of that.” she told him, worrying her lip briefly. “I just hope that you give us a chance to figure out a solution where we are together in the end.”

Tim swallowed thickly before he nodded, brushing her hair behind her ear.

“That’s a promise.” he husked, before pulling her into a tight hug.


	2. Chapter 2

It was Allie that drew Ziva from her stupor. The dog let out a soft whine and nudged her arm, making the Israeli jump before her eyes flickered to the dashboard of her car. She’d been sitting here for almost half an hour.

“Sorry, girl.” she muttered, petting the dog’s head before she unfastened her seatbelt and got out of the car, hooking a leash through Allie’s harness before she allowed the dog out. Once the Golden Retriever had relieved herself, Ziva gathered her courage and tugged on the leash, walking across the street and knocking on Gibbs’s front door.

The past two weeks had probably been the most busy and hectic of her life. At the same time, Ziva had rarely felt so at peace with any of the choices she had made. Maybe it was because she knew she was doing what was best for her, no matter how much it might hurt.

In about eight weeks, she would see Tim again. In Israel. When the lease for their apartment was up and he had had enough time to get a new visa and she’d been able to find a place for them and their two dogs. She still felt kind of bad about doing this to him, but it was his choice to follow her, and she was glad he’d made it. Tim not being able to move to Israel for her was the one thing that would have made her reconsider.

She’d said her goodbyes to Abby and Tony over the past two weeks. Spent some time with them. A movie night with Tony, where she had indulged him and watched those strange vampire and werewolf movies with him. He had known that something was up and when she’d told him she was leaving, for good, he hadn’t seemed surprised. Only sad. Joked that at least this time, it wasn’t ending with her standing on a tarmac in Israel while he flew back to the US with Gibbs and Vance. And she’d told him again she had more than forgiven him for that, forgiven Gibbs and herself for it, too. They’d hugged and she hadn’t been able to help a few tears. For all they had put each other through, he had been one of the closest and best friends she had ever had, and she was sure she’d never forget that. And there was nothing stopping him from visiting them in Israel, once they had set everything up.

Abby hadn’t been as easy. Mostly because the other woman had refused to accept it at first. And because, if Ziva was honest, Abby was one of the very few female friends she had ever had, a number so low she could count them on one hand. The start of their friendship had been a rocky one, that much was true, but Ziva had always admired the Forensic Scientist, for her intelligence, for her innocence and for her ability to be herself and just tell people who didn’t like it to go to hell. In the end, she had had to promise weekly emails and bi-weekly skype calls and lots of letters and pictures. Ziva knew that Abby would pester Tim and cling to him, knew how close they had been once and still were, and that was okay. She had known what was coming, but Abby hadn’t had any warning. It would take time for her to accept it and get over it, and when she did, Ziva had assured her that they would have a guest bedroom waiting for her.

Saying goodbye to Gibbs, though… That was something she hadn’t been looking forward to, had been dreading so much, in fact, that she’d waited until the night of her flight back.

“Ziver.” the man raised an eyebrow when he saw her standing on his porch before he took a step aside to allow her in, smiling indulgently at Allie when the dog went straight for the fireplace and plopped down in front of it.

“You okay?” Gibbs asked her outright when he searched her face and Ziva let out a slow breath as she shook her head.

“Not really.” she admitted, motioning to the door of his basement. Gibbs nodded, following her down the steps. Ziva halted briefly, staring at the point on the floor where she had shot her own brother to save Gibbs’s life all these years ago. It felt like it had been another lifetime then.

“I…” she started, accepting the glass of bourbon he handed her. Her eyes flickered to the skeleton of a new boat and she swallowed thickly. Maybe he’d name this one after her, she thought dimly as she took a sip of the alcohol. “Ever since we handed in our badges, I have felt… lost.” Ziva finally began, watching Gibbs briefly before she went over to the boat and ran her hand over one of the wooden beams. “I’d felt it before, when I was in Israel to bury my father. But being there had helped, and when I came back, I threw myself into work and finding Bodnar. His death, it left behind a hole, and I had no idea how to fill it. Then Parsons pushed me into a corner and I had to tell Tim I’d cheated on him and everything just came crumbling down around me, my entire life seemed to collapse…”

The Israeli paused, reaching up to pinch the bridge of her nose.

“I feel as if I have lost myself, Gibbs.” she confessed, tears welling up in her eyes. “And I tried, I tried to find myself again, but the only time when I felt like me was when Tim and I were in Israel. I don’t want to leave, but I feel, I feel like I have to. And that if I don’t, I will suffocate.”

She watched him set down his glass through her tears and then Gibbs went over to her and extended his arms. Ziva threw herself into them, clutching at him as she started crying. Why did this have to be so hard, why did she have to leave him behind? He had been such an important person to her, she had needed his approval for so long, needed him more than she had needed her own father when Eli had still been alive-

“It’s okay.” Gibbs muttered and Ziva felt him press a kiss to her temple before he leaned back to look into her face. “‘Tis okay, Ziva.” he assured her, gently wiping her tears away.

Ziva blinked at him, sniffling as she calmed down. He was way too calm.

“Tim told you.”

At that, Gibbs shook his head, giving a crooked smile.

“Abby called.” he told her, letting his hands run down her arms as he slowly let go of Ziva. “Told me to cuff you to the railing of my stairs and never let you go.”

Ziva let out a snort at that, reaching up to wipe at the moisture on her cheeks.

“That does sound like Abby.” she nodded, looking up at him again. “I am so sorry, Gibbs.”

Her mentor and friend shook his head. “Nah.” he muttered, tapping his index finger against her hand. “Gotta do what’s best for you. What helps you heal.”

Ziva drew a deep breath, her lips forming a hard line when she tried to keep fresh tears back. Gibbs merely shook his head and hugged her again.

“I’mma miss you, Ziver.” he murmured into her ear and she closed her eyes, fingers twisting into the material of his NIS shirt.

“I will miss you, too.” she responded before letting go and taking a step back. “You have to come visit.” she told him, shaking her head when he gave her a look. “No excuses, I will not hear them.”

“When you get married.” Gibbs inclined his head, making Ziva’s throat close up again and she gave a mute nod. Yes. When Tim and her got married, married in Israel, then they would invite the whole team. Gibbs and Ducky and Tony and Abby and Palmer and Breena. And maybe even Vance and his children. All of them. They would see each other again, Ziva was sure of that.


	3. Chapter 3

Tim’s hand wrapped around the towel around his hips, preventing it from slipping down as he answered the Skype call. He watched Ziva lift an eyebrow as a smirk settled on her face.

“I did not know we were going to have one of these conversations, else I would have removed my clothes, too.”

Tim rolled his eyes at her.

“I was just getting ready to take a shower.” he told her as he sat down in the chair at the dining table. Which was one of the few pieces of furniture still left in the apartment. Some was on its way to Israel, other stuff had gone into storage, waiting for Sarah to decide what she wanted to use herself before she could sell the rest.

“Are you at the apartment?” he asked his fiancée when he realized he was not looking at Shmeil’s guest bedroom wallpaper any more. To his surprise, Ziva blushed a little and averted her eyes briefly before she looked back at the screen.

“No.” she shook her head. “Well, yes, but…” she went on, frowning. “I did not find an apartment.” the Israeli finally confessed, making Tim sigh.

“Ziva-”

“I bought a house.”

His mouth was still open from what he had about to say before she’d cut him off, but he was pretty sure his jaw would have dropped.

“You did what?”

Ziva flinched briefly before she held up her hands.

“Please do not be mad at me.” she asked him softly. “I was looking for apartments, but there was nothing suitable in our price range, especially given that you have no job and I am currently waitressing.” she reminded him.

“But a house was in our price range?” he asked her, shaking his head at her rash decision.

“My father left me money when he died. I know that I took a leap, but if you do not like it, we can simply rent it out. It doesn’t need work, only furniture and perhaps some new paint and wallpaper in some places.”

“Oh Ziva.” Tim muttered, shaking his head slightly.

“You are angry.” she observed, leaning in to see the screen better.

“Yeah, a little.” he admitted. “I could have done without worrying about owning property.”

“I was born in this country, Timothy.” Ziva reminded him. “And while my passport is American, changing my citizenship did not affect my ability to understand and speak Hebrew. I can fill out forms as well as any other adult here.”

Tim sighed, inclining his head. He tended to forget that sometimes. That they weren’t starting over in a country that was foreign to the both of them. For him, it was taking a leap of faith and living somewhere he had barely gotten to know on his first trip there, but for Ziva, it was going home. The things he worried about, like all the damn paperwork, were things she would understand because she spoke and was able to read the language.

“Sorry.” he apologized, taking a deep breath. Ziva watched him, checking her watch.

“When is your flight?” she changed the topic.

“Tomorrow morning.” he answered. “Sarah’s gonna drive me to the airport.”

He watched as Ziva nodded before grabbing the glass on her desk to take a sip of her water. It suddenly occured to him that he might have over-reacted. The only reason they had not bought a house when they’d moved in together had been because they’d had no idea where their jobs might take them. Investing into property when you couldn’t be sure you’d be in the same place in ten months time would have been a stupid move. This time, they had no jobs, none that would require them to possibly move in the not-so-distant future. They were moving to Israel to start over.

“Give me a tour?” he suddenly asked her, causing her to pause mid-motion.

“A tour?” she repeated, eyeing him suspiciously.

“Yeah, of the house. I wanna see it.” Tim nodded, unable to help the smile that was stealing across his face when she lifted an eyebrow at him.

“Very well.” Ziva nodded, getting up and lifting the laptop. “But it really needs more furniture.” she told him as a warning before she turned the laptop around and showed him the room she had been in, telling him she’d thought they could use it as an office or something. As she slowly made her way through the house, Tim sketched the layout down on a piece of paper so he would have an idea what he was going to find in Israel. He had to admit, what he could see from the webcam was a nice, cozy home, albeit rather empty.

“Okay, give me a second.” Ziva finally declared before her end went black.

“Hey!” Tim yelled out indignantly as he heard rustling.

“Ready?” her voice carried over the speakers before her webcam came back on and this time, his jaw did drop. The view was simply breathtaking. As amazing as a sunset on screen could be.

“Okay, now I understand.” he said, hearing Ziva’s laugh carry over the line before the laptop shifted and her face came into view again.

“Still mad at me?” she asked him, watching his face. Tim shook his head.

“I wasn’t really mad, just… upset, at being left out of the decision making process.”

His fiancée nodded. “You can have a look around once you are here, and then we can decide what we’re going to do with it.”

Tim watched her, reaching out to trace her cheek on the screen.

“I really miss you.” he mumbled, suddenly feeling so utterly alone. He’d see her again soon, but they’d been apart for so long that he yearned to be able to touch her, to just be in the same room as her...

“I miss you, too.” Ziva responded softly. “I can’t wait to be able to touch you again. To hug you, to kiss you…”

His cell phone chirped in that moment, making Tim groan as he glanced at the screen.

“It’s my mother, I have to take this.”

“I will pick you up from the airport, yes?” Ziva quickly asked to confirm and Tim nodded.

“Yeah, it’s a date.” he smiled, watching her grin back at him before she blew him a kiss and then ended the call. With a sigh he raised his cell phone and accepted the call.

“Yeah, mom?”


	4. Chapter 4

It had felt strange, the first few weeks in Israel when they both knew they would be staying, staying here for good. And the past few months had been filled with both happiness and frustration, for both of them. Though Ziva didn’t regret taking that step one bit.

It had turned out that Tim did like the house she had picked for them, and her assessment of the amount of work it needed had mostly been correct, too. There had been an unpleasant surprise when the temperatures started rising and they found that the air conditioning worked only when it decided to, but that had been a quick fix for an experienced handyman.

Admittedly, they had taken a little longer to settle in than they’d anticipated. At least, Tim had. For Ziva, the transition back had been relatively easy, but she remembered the huge cultural shock that living in the US had been for her at first. It didn’t help that they had to go back to the US within two months of moving, when Tim’s father died. Leaving again after the funeral had been especially hard, but Sarah had come with them and stayed for almost two weeks, and that had helped a lot.

The beginning had been hard. It hadn’t just been moving halfway around the earth, but also working on their relationship. Making an effort to save what she knew Tim hadn’t necessarily thought could be saved. They’d gone through some nasty arguments, and there had been things Tim had said that had hurt her deeply, even though Ziva knew she had needed to hear them and he had needed to say them, to get them out of his system. It had been hard, admitting just how much damage her lies had done to their relationship, and putting it slowly back together had been frustrating and agonizing at times. Though it had gotten easier, over time, once they learned to trust each other again, with their feelings and their hearts.

And now, a little over a year since they had moved, things had settled down. They’d both found jobs that were more fitting for their abilities and backgrounds then the temp work and waitressing that Ziva had been doing in the beginning, and Tim had started writing again. Trying to learn Hebrew had proven to be quite a challenge, but Ziva had come up with a rather rewarding way for him to learn new vocabulary, rewarding for both of them.

They’d also finally gotten married two days ago. Ziva still couldn’t believe it. She’d asked Abby to pinch her on the actual day, too. Only a year ago, she’d thought that her escapade with Eshel had ruined everything between her and Tim, had been prepared to lose him over her stupid mistake. But he’d stayed. Not just that, but he’d come to Israel, with her. Because he loved her and hadn’t been willing to just throw what they’d had away. And she was so grateful for that second chance. She wouldn’t have known what to do without him. Because if there was one thing she was sure of, it was that she had never loved anyone the way she loved her husband. And years ago, she’d have rolled her eyes at any such statement, but the truth was, she needed him in her life. Having known that love and then lose it because of her own stupidity… Ziva was pretty sure that would have destroyed her.

The wedding had been a small affair, nothing fancy. Just a simple ceremony in front of Tim’s mother and sister and their friends from NCIS. Their family. And it had been good to be able to share this moment with them, and to finally have all of them in Israel and show them their new home, and catch up with each other.

“Are you okay?” Ziva asked as she stepped onto the porch. Tim opened his mouth before he closed it again and gave a shrug instead. She’d noticed how Tim had been growing awfully quiet over the past few hours, since they had dropped the team off at the airport, until he’d disappeared outside after dinner.

“What’s wrong?” she inquire. Tim let out a soft sigh and shook his head.

“I don’t know.” he admitted, furrowing his brows. “I just feel… a bit sad, maybe.”

Ziva nodded, reaching up to rub her forehead. “Because they all had to leave?”

“That, too.” Tim nodded, covering her hand with his and giving it a gentle squeeze. “It’s Breena.” he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper. Ziva furrowed her brows in confusion before she caught on, letting out a soft sigh.

“I’m sorry.” she muttered, lifting her free hand to stroke his cheek.

“I know they weren’t doing it on purpose, and they don’t know, it’s just…” Tim trailed off with a shake of his head. Ziva watched him, wondering what she was supposed to say, how to comfort him. She knew that Palmer and Breena had been excited and wanted to share their joy over their first baby, but sometimes she wished that they would just shut up.

“You know,” she started, tugging on the lapels of his shirt, “I was thinking. And I know what you said before, about the whole fertility treatment and sperm donor stuff, and if that’s still your opinion, then that’s fine. But if it’s not… we could start looking into it.”

Tim blinked at her, leaning back in surprise and causing Ziva to roll her eyes. She was well aware that he hadn’t mentioned the topic before because she had let him know in no uncertain terms that she was not ready to consider children. But seeing how happy Jimmy and Breena were when it came to talking about their nine month old adoptive daughter, it had made her realize that she was actually ready to take that step. To take it with Tim, start a family with him.

“I still don’t like the thought of you getting poked and prodded.” Tim shook his head, his hold on her tightening. Ziva gave a shake of her head, looking up at him.

“We’ll discuss this, and get some opinions, but for the record? I think it would be very well worth it. Getting poked and prodded.”

Her husband’s lips tugged into a soft smile before he leaned down to kiss her.


	5. Chapter 5

If there was something that Tim had learned over the past few years, it was that things never really went according to plan, and that that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

He hadn’t been a fan of the idea of artificial insemination by a sperm donor, and after they had started looking into it, he and Ziva had both quickly come to the conclusion that this would not be the answer for them. Instead, they’d decided to adopt. The idea had been to look for a child of at least four years. He’d hoped that it would keep the frustration coming from the language barrier at a tolerable level for both him and the kid. Though the adoption agency required him to complete an advanced language course, Tim had no illusions that understanding adults was vastly different to understanding small children, and adults could adjust their speech to make it easier for him to understand and communicate with them.

To this day, neither one of them had an idea what had prompted Rebecca to mention Nadiv to him and Ziva. Maybe it had been because they’d started growing close to a little girl when her biological father had suddenly changed his mind about giving his consent and Rebecca had thought that holding a little baby would cheer them up. Maybe that had been what had made them agree to meet the little guy. Back then, Nadiv had been six months old, he’d been in the system since his mother had abandoned him at the hospital at the age of three months. The name and address she had given had been fake, and she had never come back for her baby.

He adjusted his hold on the child and took another step into the ocean, allowing the waves to hit his waist and Nadiv’s legs. The boy let out a happy squeal, clapping his hands in excitement.

“You really love this, don’t you?” Tim muttered, pressing a kiss to his son’s temple. Technically, they merely had temporary custody of him, but ever since the first night Nadiv had spent in their care, Tim had thought of him as their child, Ziva’s son and his. He let him splash around for a few minutes before he went back to the beach, accepting a towel from Ziva after he handed the boy over so she could dry him off. It was their first trip to Haifa as a family and just the thought made Tim’s heart flutter. Three years ago, he hadn’t been sure if Ziva and him would last another week, and then he’d been forced to make what had possibly been the hardest decision in his life. Which had turned out to also be the best he’d ever made. Looking back now, there wasn’t a single thing he would change.

“Hey.”

Ziva’s voice pulled him from his thoughts and Tim looked down at her questioningly.

“I suggested packing up and getting something to eat. Someone needs their nap.” she told him, running her hand through Nadiv’s curls as the boy promptly rubbed his eyes.

An hour later, Tim grabbed the baby monitor and went out on the terrace of their holiday home. Ziva tilted her head at him, giving him a soft smile.

“He’s out like a light.” he reported, sitting down in the deck chair next to hers.

“It was a bad night.” his wife shrugged, closing her eyes briefly. Nadiv had nights where he slept like an angel, and others they barely managed to lay him down before he erupted into panicked crying and screamed when they left the room. Abandonment issues, at least that’s what Rebecca had called it. The unfamiliar environment of their vacation home must have triggered it, at least Tim suspected it had since the last episode at home had been weeks ago. He didn’t blame Nadiv, if someone had handed him to another person every other week when he’d been a baby, he suspected that he’d have reacted in much the same fashion to the smallest changes in his environment.

“I got an email from Sarah.” Ziva suddenly said, opening her eyes again as she turned her head to watch him. “She invited us for Thanksgiving.”

Tim let out a soft sigh as he gave a shrug. “Well, we can at least try.”

So far, they had no permission to take Nadiv out of the country. And he understood the concern. Given that both Ziva and him still had US passports and citizenship, he could see why taking Nadiv there would be setting off a few alarm bells.

“I told her as much.” Ziva nodded, pausing briefly. “But I am wondering, do you want to invite them for Christmas?”

Tim hesitated, furrowing his brows.

“It’s our first as a family.” he shrugged, watching his wife. “And didn’t you say something about Hanukkah being around that time?”

“Hanukkah starts on December 24 this year.” Ziva confirmed, reaching out to take his hand. “And I want it to be special, for all of us. I thought, if we don’t get permission to take Nadiv to the US for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah would be a chance to still celebrate with your sister and her fiancé.”

At that word, Tim flinched. He still refused to accept that his little sister had actually gotten engaged, especially because he had not met the guy. How on earth was he supposed to judge if Sarah could be happy with him when Tim had no idea what this Robert was like?

“Come on.” Ziva laughed, shaking her head. “I do not mean to drag you down, but there is a chance that we won’t all be able to attend the wedding, and I would like to meet Nadiv’s future uncle. And give Sarah a chance to get to know her nephew a little.” she added. “I think it would be good for him.”

“Okay.” Tim agreed, hesitating briefly. “Would you mind if my mother came along?”

“I was hoping you’d ask that.” Ziva smiled at him, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. Tim looked at her, feeling his heart flutter in his chest.

“Did I tell you how much I love you today?” he asked her. Ziva’s eyes widened briefly before her smile got bigger.

“I don’t think so, no.” she answered. Tim leaned in, resting his forehead against hers.

“I love you. So very, very much.”

“And here I thought writers had a way with words.” Ziva mumbled against his lips.

“They do. You just have a way of making me speechless.”

At that, Ziva let out a soft laugh as she shook her head at him before she reached up to stroke his cheek.

“I love you, too.” she responded and Tim stole another kiss from her before reclining back into the deck chair, still holding hands with her.

_fin._

**Author's Note:**

> What I mean with me saying goodbye to the show is that, Ziva was my favorite character, and while I previously thought I might be able to continue watching the show, the thought of NCIS without her just pains me too much (never mind the sort of ending her storyline apparently got).  
> I will probably continue to write fic for the show, though most will be wildly AU and/or set in the past. But this is my personal goodbye. I've watched NCIS from the first spin-off episode Ice Queen when it premiered in Germany, it's the first show I watched in English, and the first one I wrote fic for in English. I have many happy memories with it, and it has been my escape for years. So writing this was incredibly hard.


End file.
